


As You Wish

by awesomenerd16



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Halloween, The Princess Bride References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-30
Updated: 2017-10-30
Packaged: 2019-01-26 13:44:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12558656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awesomenerd16/pseuds/awesomenerd16
Summary: Aubrey and Jesse try to set up their best friends Beca and Chloe at a Halloween party.





	As You Wish

It’s a brisk fall afternoon about a week before Halloween, as Aubrey and Chloe sit at a quaint coffee shop in the village. They’re both nursing double espressos and discussing plans for the Halloween party they’re throwing next weekend, when a tall brunette man with a goofy grin on his face approaches their corner table.

“Hello there, ladies!” The man says, leaning over to kiss the blonde on the cheek.

“Hey Jesse!” Chloe says just before taking another sip of her coffee.

“Hey sweetie.” Aubrey replies with a smile. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry babe, got caught up with a project at work, but I’m all yours now.” He says, sitting down at the table to join the girls. “So, how are the party plans coming along?” Jesse asks.

“Really well, actually. We’ve got all the food lined up, a bunch of our girlfriends are supplying the liquor, so that’s covered. Chloe and I will finish decorating at the end of the week, and I’m picking yours and my costume up tomorrow afternoon.” The blonde finishes, ticking off her fingers one by one.

“I still can’t believe you agreed to be Sonny, Jess.” Chloe laughs.

“First of all, it was Aubrey’s idea, and anything she wants, well…” he trails off with a goofy grin, looking towards his girlfriend.

“Good answer.” The blonde pats his cheek affectionately.

“Secondly,” he continues, “I can’t wait to put that stache on and rock some manly bellbottoms. It’s gonna be awesome!” he says enthusiastically.

“Well at least you’re all in on the idea.” Chloe smiles towards the equally cheerful guy in front of her.

“Speaking of, Chlo,” Aubrey cuts in, “Have you decided on your costume yet?”

“Nooo,” she sighs heavily. “I haven’t come up with anything I love just yet.”

“Come on Chloe, how hard could it be! Plus, you’ve only got six days left before you’re gonna be forced to cut some holes in a sheet and go as a boring old ghost or whatever.” She admonishes.

“Well if you’re so worried about it Bree, why don’t you come up with something for me, hmm?”

“Maybe I will.” Aubrey looks towards her best friend, playfully challenging her.

“Good. I look forward to hearing your ideas.” Chloe quickly glances at the time on her phone, seeing it read a quarter past three. “Shoot, I gotta get going, got a class in about an hour. And remember Bree, you’ve only got six days left before I’m forced to wear a bed sheet. Chop chop!” She says, humorously, quoting Aubrey’s words back at her.

“Shut up, and get your ass moving. I’ll see you back at home later tonight.”

“Alright, love you Bree. See ya Jesse.” She waves as the redhead rushes out of the coffee shop.

“You know,” the blonde says, turning back to face her boyfriend, “I have half a mind to go out and get an embarrassing costume for Chloe, but honestly, almost nothing can embarrass that girl.” Jesse simply chuckles.

“Well at least she's excited about it all. I wish my best friend had even a microscopic amount of interest in doing anything fun like dressing up for Halloween. And believe me, I try every year to pitch her ideas and nothing.” He sighs dramatically, leaning his chin onto his fist. “She bought bags of candy already, but I think she just plans to eat them all herself.”

“Best friend… have I met her yet?” Aubrey asks.

“Yeah, Beca, I've mentioned her a lot before, but I don't think you guys have actually have met.”

“What? Jesse Swanson. We have been dating over two months now and you pretty much met Chloe day one! How have you not introduced us yet?” Aubrey asks with a slight hurt in her voice, feeling a little like she's not good enough to be meeting the best of his friends.

“Well she's always really busy with work and is kind of naturally anti social to begin with. I've been trying to persuade her to come to the party you guys are throwing, but I apparently have no convincing argument yet for why she should abandon her many bags of candy and Stranger Things marathon to, and I quote, “forcibly socialize with a bunch of drunk grown ass adults dressed as something slutty or idiotic.”

“She sounds lovely,” Aubrey deadpans. “I'll take you not introducing us yet as a favor to me, and I am no longer mad at you.”

“Hey now!” The brunette man scoffs playfully. “She's really great once you get to know her…. Which she rarely lets people do.” He thinks for a moment. “So you'll like her in like 4 years!” 

“Terrific. But honestly Jesse, if she's that important to you, I would be happy to meet her. So try and get her to come to our party next weekend?”

“I'm trying believe me! I just wished she liked anything pop culture-y that I could suggest to her. I mean she hates movies so that eliminates like 80% of everything!” He sighs, scrunching his face up in contemplation.

“Seriously?” Aubrey asks, amazed to hear of the dislike for films. “There isn't one single movie in the whole world that she likes?”

“Well I mean there's… Oh my God!” Jesse’s jaw drops and eyes sparkle in excitement as he turns to his girlfriend. “How have I not thought of this before?! Bree you're a genius!”

“Um okay? I didn't actually say anyt–”

“The Princess Bride!” Jesse interrupts, gesturing his hands emphatically. “Beca's obsessed with that movie. It's literally the only one she loves and will ever watch. Which, if I'm being honest, yes it's a classic, but I feel like I've seen it a thousand times by now and am getting a little sick of it.” He groans, before looking nervously towards the blonde. “Don't tell Beca I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with me. And I completely understand, actually. Chloe could quote that whole movie and it can get really irritating. In fact, I've left the apartment before because she wouldn't stop acting everything out, accents and all.” Jesse chuckles, sympathizing. “So problem solved then, Beca will be the eponymous Princess Bride and–”

“Oh no no no.” Jesse cuts in. “Beca avoids dresses like the plague unless she's got a knife to her throat for a work thing.”

“So then what will you suggest to her, being a rodent of unusual size?” It's Jesse's turn to quirk an eyebrow at that. “What? I repeat, I have heard Chloe quote that whole damn movie many times. Without ever having seen it, I know that movie inside and out.” 

“Okay, we're gonna circle back to that you never having seen it, but to answer your question… though she's got the size for it,” he jokes, “no, not an ROUS. But I've got the perfect idea. And also...” Jesse trails off.

Aubrey hums for the man to continue, curious as to what he wants to say.

“I was thinking, you said Chloe likes women right?”

“Uh huh.” She squints her eyes together, already figuring where this is going.

“Well what would you think of planning a secret blind date for Chloe and Beca at the Halloween party?”

“I haven't even met this girl yet and you want me to set my best friend up with her?” The blonde asks, raising a curious eyebrow.

“Hey, a little bit of trust here. This is my best friend too. And it's not like I'd be friends with a crazy person.” Jesse defends.

“Just an awkward anti social one.”

“Right! Wait, shoot, that's not helping my cause is it?”

“Not really.” Aubrey smirks a little.

“She's a cool person and from what I know of Chloe, I think her and Beca might make a good match. Come on Bree. If nothing else, it's a funny story in the future of how our best friends met.”

Aubrey sighs, thinking the situation over in her head.

“I am not setting Chloe up with a Humperdinck!” She says in a warning tone, her finger pointing accusingly at her boyfriend.

“Relax, Beca's not a Humperdinck, in costume or personality.” Jesse says, trying to convince Aubrey. “And you know I wouldn't suggest it if I thought Beca was gonna be a dick about it and treat Chloe in any way less than what she deserves. She really is a great person once you get to know her.”

Jesse pulls out the puppy dog eyes and juts out a very non-manly pouty lip.

“Quit making that face. Chloe makes that face about three times a day. I'm immune at this point.” She waves him off, pausing to think over the situation for another moment. “Okay. I will allow it.” Jesse cheers excitedly.

“ _But_ , I'm taking a blind chance on you with this Swanson. Chloe gets attached to people very quickly. I don't want her getting her heart broken.”

“Well I can't really promise that won't happen, but I feel confident that Beca would never do that on purpose.” Jesse says sincerely.

“I feel like I'm arranging a marriage here.” Aubrey rubs her temple with her fingers. “Okay, well I guess I'm on board with the idea. If you get Beca to come to our party, the opportunity presents itself perfectly to get them in the same room talking.”

“And once they meet and talk, they'll fall in love and get married just like the movies. I couldn't have written a meet-cute any better myself,” the man says with a grin on his face.

“Alright there, John Hughes, let's not get ahead of ourselves. You've already said your friend has no interest in coming to our party. How do you propose on doing that?” Aubrey questions.

“Oh, now that I have high-level motivation and an ace up my sleeve, it'll be no problem getting her to agree.”

“You sound so confident in your ability to convince Beca. With how stubborn she sounds, I don't think you can get her to come at all, even with this genius costume idea.” 

“Oh yeah? Wanna bet?” Jesse exclaims defensively.

“ _Bet_ , huh?” Aubrey raises a curious eyebrow.

“You heard me.” 

“Alright. Name the terms.”

“Fine. If she agrees, you cook me dinner for a week. If she doesn't, I'll…” he thinks for a moment, “go to that Ladies of the 80s reunion tour concert with you.” He sighs with a slight grimace. Aubrey’s face lights up at the suggestion.

“BUT!” Jesse jumps in quickly, worried because his best friend could easily still say no. “I'll give you another opportunity to win, cause I'm nice like that.” Aubrey rolls her eyes. “Because we're trying to set them up, if Beca does agree to go, you also have to get them talking. It has to be date-like for them.”

“If you can get Beca to go, I guarantee you I won't even need to lift a finger to get them talking at the party. Chloe will handle that part all herself.”

Jesse think about that statement for a second before amending his terms.

“Alright. No interference then. If I get Beca to go, and Chloe initiates and engages in conversation with Beca, I win.”

“I know for a fact she'll initiate. She's inherently a social butterfly and talks to everyone. I feel like you have an unfair advantage.”

“Hey now, I actually have to convince Beca to go in the first place! You think that's an easy task?” The man responds.

“I thought you were completely confident in your persuasive abilities,” the blonde challenges.

“You... hush your mouth, madam.” Aubrey rolls her eyes this time in jest, smirking. “Anyways, Chloe will have to start AND hold a conversation with Becs. I know Chloe is super bubbly and personable, but she's never met my elusive little bundle of brood. I don't know that it'll be a walk in park for her. So, if Chloe can do that, I win. But, if Beca even initiates conversation–”

“OR if you can't convince Beca to go at all…”

“Right. Then you win.” He concludes with a goofy smirk.

“Deal.” Leaning in, Aubrey kisses Jesse firmly to seal the bet.

“So my idea is to have Beca go as Westley as the Dread Pirate Roberts. An all-black outfit and a sword? That should be an easy sell. Now you just have to convince Chloe to go as the Princess bride.” Jesse states, like he doesn't think Aubrey can.

“And tell me why they need to have matching costumes?” The blonde asks.

“Because it will be adorable! Come on Aubrey, don't ruin my meet-cute.” Jesse pouts again.

“Like I said, not gonna work. So put it away.”

“Fine. And don't worry about the idea for Chloe. You probably couldn't get her to go along with it anyways.”

Aubrey quirks her eyebrow in challenge before raising a finger toward him. Aubrey pulls out her phone to text her best friend.

**Bree: Just had a brilliant thought for your costume...**

**Bree: Buttercup.**

Not a half minute later she hears a ping on her phone informing her of the redhead's response.

**Chloe: OMG! That's totes perf!!! You're the best Bree!**

Aubrey grins at the screen of her phone before shoving it in her boyfriend's face. 

“You're up sparky.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Dude, for the last time, no!”

“Aw, c’mon Becs, please? It’ll be fun.”

“Our definitions of ‘fun’ are really not the same thing, or haven’t you learned that over the past few years?”

Beca is sitting on her couch in the middle of her small one-bedroom apartment in New York City, her latest mix having been abandoned due to the persistent nagging from one Jesse Swanson. Beca had been living in the city for almost 3 years now, after having been relocated by her L.A. recording studio. She met Jesse through a mutual project, as the brunette boy had been brought on to do some background scoring for a few songs on the album she had been working on at the time. It had been an awkward first week of working together, as the guy had endlessly flirted with Beca, asking her out more than once. After his third attempt, she finally cued him in on the fact that the male persuasion was really not her preference. He took the revelation pretty hard for about ten seconds before the switch flipped, declaring them best bros from that moment on.

“Come on Beca please, for me? It'd be a great opportunity to finally introduce you to Aubrey. You are always so busy whenever I try to plan something.”

“Yeah, some of that has been intentional. I stopped by at your place one day and heard you guys chatting in the kitchen. Just from the sound of her voice, I got a “way too high-maintenance and controlling” vibe. Totally didn't want to deal, so I bailed and walked right back out the door.” Beca says with a shrug, popping a chip into her mouth.

“Beca what the hell! You've been actively avoiding my girlfriend and you've never even met her. That hurts.” He says with a small frown.

“You've known me how long Swanson? This shouldn't come as a surprise.”

“Fine. But as retribution I'm forcing you to come to this party now.” He points an accusing finger at the brunette.

“Nice try Jess. Intimidation doesn't really work for you.

“Beca pleeease. I'm not above grovelling.” He threatens, knowing the brunette hates dealing with him when he gets fake emotional.

“I am not going to some lame ass party to watch a bunch of drunk people make out all night and dance around to what I'm going to assume will be shitty pop-girl, boy band songs. I'd rather claw my eyes out with a rusty trowel.”

Jesse rolls his eyes, a trait he picked up from his best friend.

“Becs, aren't you being a tad over-dramatic?”

“ _You're_ questioning the level of _my_ dramatics, Swanson?”

“Fair point. Fine, continue ranting.”

“Don't be a dick, that's my job. Besides, even if I said yes, I don't have a costume. I wouldn't even know where to begin thinking of what to wear, Jess!”

Thinking he's starting to get the surly brunette to come around to the idea, he pulls out his ace to seal it.

“No worries Bec, I've been wracking my brain all day for the perfect costume and I got it!”

Beca raises her eyebrow skeptically.

“Really… three years worth of suggestions and you've finally got it?” He nods smugly. “Then share with the class your brilliant and perfect costume idea.”

“Westley.” Beca is slightly thrown by the suggestion. “As the Dread Pirate Roberts.” Jesse finishes, with a look of complete satisfaction on his face.

“That… is… actually brilliant. And awesome!” Beca says lighting up at the idea. “Nice one J, I think you may have actually convinced me this year.”

“Really? Woo! Oh yeah!” Jesse fist pumps into the air. “Nailed it.” He continues his achievement with a small and very dorky looking dance in front of the now annoyed brunette.

“But if you keep doing that, I take back everything I just said.”

Jesse stops immediately, flailing arms frozen mid-air before he slowly lowers them to their normal resting position. Not wanting to rock the boat on his current victory, he sits next to the brunette on the couch and decides to keep Beca's interest on the costume idea going.

“So now that you got the idea, you'll need the costume.”

“Not too worried about that, I know a place that does custom tailored costuming. If I'm doing this, it's going to be legit. Plus I already have the sword, so that's taken care of.” She smiles proudly at the thought of her prized prop replica sitting in her office at work.

“Excellent, it's all coming together.” The man drags out the word “ _all_ ,” and ends with a satisfied sigh.

“What do you mean ‘all coming together’?” Beca asks with furrowed brows.

“Oh, um, just like finally getting you to meet Aubrey and all that.” He covers quickly, not wanting to raise any suspicions about his setup.

“This is going to be great Bec! Aubrey and Chloe are going to throw a kick ass party, just you wait. I'm sure you'll have the time of your life.” The brunette man sports a confident but goofy grin. 

“Uh huh,” Beca responds with far less confidence.

“Come on, grump. If anything it'll be a good opportunity to get drunk.”

“Now you're more on my level,” she responds with a wry grin.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After a long and exhausting week, Chloe is glad the weekend had arrived. She's been looking forward to finally getting to let loose and have fun at their costume party that Aubrey had started obsessively stressing about over the last two days. The redhead knew everything was in order, but Bree being the perfectionist she is, just wanted to triple check to make sure every detail was taken care of and in place by calling all the Bellas and confirming each of their tasks had been accomplished and that they were all on schedule to arrive at their place in the mid-afternoon. The redhead manages to drag herself up the three flights of stairs to her apartment that she shares with her blonde best friend and shoulders her way through the door.

Dropping her dance bag and keys by the table near the door, Chloe calls out for her roommate.

“Hey Bree, I'm home!”

“Chloe, excellent, there you are,” the blonde says whilst walking out of her room with an arm full of cobwebs. “The girls will be here in about 5 minutes, I need you to start hanging these things around the room.”

“Woah, where's the love, Miss On-a-mission? No, ‘Hi Chloe how was your day?’” She asks with a laugh, knowing full-well Aubrey was already in host mode.

The blonde sighs heavily. “Hi Chloe, how was your day?” She says, disposing of the items her hands onto their coffee table.

“Great, thank you for asking!” She grins as her best friend rolls her eyes. “I managed to get my noon class of ten year olds all the way through their entire routine today without any major distractions or issues, so that's progress!” She says chipperly.

Chloe moved to New York eight months ago after accepting a teaching position at a well known dance academy. She recently held a roster spot as a dancer for the Atlanta Hawks for the last three years, but she had began growing tired of that job and missed her best friend from college. After a two hour Skype conversation with Aubrey weighing the pros and cons of quitting and embarking on something new, they came to a consensus, or rather Aubrey definitively declared, that should Chloe find a job in NYC, she would have no other option but to move in with her. Aubrey was already a junior partner at a reputable law firm in the city and had a big enough apartment with a spare room she wasn't utilizing, so it was a no-brainer for her. Chloe applied for the position at the academy and with her background and moderate level of celebrity, they immediately hired her. It had all been a whirlwind from there, moving all her belongings to New York and into her now shared apartment with Aubrey. But life has since settled into a more manageable pace for the dancer, and she was loving every second of it. 

“Well that sounds wonderful, keep at it Chlo, you'll have those kids perfecting the routine in no time.” Aubrey comments as she holds her hands on her hips and pivots her body to scope out the space in the living room.

“Okay Bree I won't torture you any longer, I can see you want to get moving on this deco, SO… let me shower and change and I'll be right out!”

“Perfect. The girls should be mostly here by then. See you in a few.” Chloe runs off to shower and clean up as Aubrey gets to work setting up for the party that night.

Twenty minutes later and a refreshed and cleaned up redhead makes her way out to the now bustling living room of her apartment.

“Hey ginge, bout time you got your flat butt out here! I'm drowning in cotton over here” Fat Amy cries from across the room, laying in a heap of fake cobwebs.

“Amy what are you doing?” She smiles looking at the girl on the floor.

“Weeellll, I started detangling this stuff, but then I got curious to see if it'd actually stick to anything annnnd I may have sort of, accidentally on purpose decided to wrap myself in it and cling to the wall. Ummm, not so much. The wall couldn't handle my sexy ass like the floor could, so here I am! Little help Red?”

Chloe just laughs at the crazy antics of the blonde and moves to assist in extracting the material from her body before Bree walked over and had a fit. Chloe looks around the room to see most of the Bellas doing one task or another. Stacie was helping Aubrey with food in the kitchen, Jessica and Ashley were hanging up decorations on the opposite side of the room and down the hall, and Lilly was… well that Chloe wasn’t entirely sure of. She was dressed in a black gown and veil, walking around the room with a lit candle and some herbs that were giving off smoke, chanting in a language the redhead wasn't sure was real or not. She decided it was best not to question or interrupt.

Chloe was more than grateful to know when she moved here that most of the girls from their collegiate a cappella group and what she considered her now close knit family, had all found themselves living in or around New York. Stacie was working in DC as a research scientist for the government. Jessica was a freelance photographer, but based herself in NYC to stay close to Ashley, who chased her dreams of becoming a culinary chef; the brunette now works at a top end restaurant in The Village. Fat Amy dove into the comedy club scene towards the end of college and now has constant gigs around the world, but the brash Australian finds herself visiting the city that never sleeps more often than not. And Lilly… well, again, she really didn't know what that girl did for a living, but she always made an appearance at anything they ever planned, so she just assumed she lives in the area. The only ones not near them were Flo who moved down to Miami to join a acrobatic team, and Cynthia Rose who remained in Atlanta working at a recording studio, but she still makes an effort to Skype with them when possible.

With about four hours left until the party starts and other guests arrive, the women continue decorating the apartment and chatting each other up. Aubrey maneuvers around the room directing them and occasionally barking orders, nothing unusual for the Bellas, as they experienced that same behavior back in college.

A couple hours later and the apartment was fully decorated. With the exception of Stacie and Lilly, each of the girls had left to go home and change into their costumes for the party. Stacie heads into Aubrey’s room with the blonde in tow so they could change and do their hair and makeup, while Lilly sits straight as a board on one of the couches in the living room, reading what Chloe thought looked like a book of spells.

Leaving Lilly be, Chloe heads into her own room to change into her Buttercup outfit. She was relieved to have had enough time to find a dress and get it tailored up some before this weekend had arrived, and lucky for her, she already had a pair of boots to pull the whole thing together. As she slides the loose flowing riding dress over her head and ties the belt around her waist, she begins to run through a few scenes from the movie, quoting quietly to herself. 

“Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher.” She grins at the reflection in her full length mirror before sighing heavily. “One day I'll find my Westley.” 

After securing her boots on her feet, she heads into her attached bathroom to work on her hair and makeup.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It’s about an hour before the party Jesse planned on dragging Beca to, and about 20 minutes until Beca’s motley crew of friends showed up to her apartment to pick her up to head over to Jesse’s girlfriend’s place.

Beca had just put the finishing touches on her makeup, and after grabbing the black mask off her desk and tying it around her head, she stands back in front of her mirror to assess the costume as a whole.

Standing there in a full black outfit–tight black leather pants and a more flowy black blouse, with black leather boots sitting comfortably on her feet–she nods in approval before grabbing the last item to complete the look. Picking up the custom rapier sword, she turns it over in her hands, admiring the chrome plated steel and silver pommel, the black leather grip well worn and comfortable in her left hand. 

Beca has always loved and adored _The Princess Bride_. It was one of the first movies she can ever remember seeing, her mom having introduced it to her when she was in grade school. The young Beca had fallen in love with the sword fighting and action of the movie, while initially relating to the sick boy about all the gross kissing and romance. Seven year old Beca didn't have time for romance when there were giant rat creatures to be slain and evil men to be stopped. Beca had even found the film to be her comfort movie when she was sick, her mother always making her a bowl of soup to accompany her screening while she got better. It's these memories that made her attachment to the movie all the stronger when her mother passed away when she was a teenager. She clung to the movie like a lifeline between her and her mom. Even though she had passed, Beca could still feel her presence any time she watched it. That film, along with her affinity for music, were the only two things that carried her through the rough years that followed. 

Beca continues to gaze at her appearance in the mirror, thinking how much her mom would love her costume tonight. The brunette allows a small smile to grace her lips before redirecting her thoughts back to the item in her hands. She takes a couple large steps backward away from the full length mirror in her bedroom and begins to lunge forward with the weapon, pretending as if she's fighting off a would-be enemy. Beca is so distracted fencing with an imaginary opponent, that she fails to hear the knocking on her front door, fails to hear the sound of a few people entering her apartment and laughing loudly, and fails to hear the knock on her bedroom door until she completes one last counter-parry and looks up to see the amused face of her best friend staring back at her. 

Embarrassed, Beca quickly sheathes her sword before standing awkwardly with a tight-lipped grimace on her face. 

“Don't say a word.” She points an accusing finger at the brunette man who looks as if he's about to burst out laughing.

“About what?” A snort of air sneaks out of his nose as Jesse tries to contain his laughter, knowing better than to release it, lest Beca kick them all out of her place.

“Exactly.” The petite woman grabs her cell phone, wallet and a pair of black gloves before pushing past the man at her doorframe and exiting her room into the small main room that acts as a living room/kitchen combo. She sees two other bodies talking animatedly as they lean against the back of her couch.

“Hey Em, Benji.” The woman says to her other guests and close friends.

“Beca, O-M-G, you look amazing!” Emily squeals, running over to give her friend and former producer a hug.

About a year ago, Emily had been a new talent to come through the record label Beca worked at, and she had been assigned to produce Emily’s first album. As they worked long hours together over the span of several months, the two brunettes started to form a bond with one another. The taller brunette had been a ball of energy from the beginning, energy that smothered Beca’s offput and sarcastic nature, and eventually broke her down enough that Beca found herself enjoying the company of the younger girl; so much so, Beca now thinks of herself as a protective older sister to the younger woman. 

Releasing herself from the bone-crushing hug the taller girl was giving her, she steps back to check out the pair’s costumes. Emily was dressed as Princess Leia, wearing a long white gown, with her chocolate brown hair pulled into the character’s signature buns. Benji, Emily’s boyfriend and Jesse’s roommate of 7 years–they'd bunked together ever since college–was dressed as Emily’s counterpart, Han Solo.

“You guys look great,” Beca says before turning to face her best friend. “ _You_ on the other hand, look ridiculous.” She laughs openly and heartily.

Jesse is dressed as a perfect incarnation of Sonny Bono straight out of the 1970s, with his blue jean bell bottoms, patterned paisley shirt and circle sunglasses. The man was even sporting a shaggy dark brown wig atop his head. But unphased by the woman's response, Jesse simply tugs confidently at his open collared shirt and responds in kind.

“Dude, come on, I look awesome. Check out this stache,” he says, running his fingers over the fake mustache adorning his upper lip. “I'm thinking about maybe growing one like it full time after this party, what do you guys think?”

Beca just laughs even harder, while Emily smiles awkwardly, thinking of something nice to say about that idea.

“Um, yeah… you _could_ do that. But um, your face really looks so nice and youthful without it.” The younger woman says hesitantly.

“I don't know man, facial hair like that takes a lot of upkeep,” Benji chimes in, wanting to help his girlfriend out, also thinking the mustache would be a bad idea.

“Dude no. You already look like an idiot with the fake one on. As much humor as I'd find in it every day, I'm sure your girlfriend would think differently.” Beca adds, feeling like the voice of blunt common sense.

“Yeah yeah, I guess you're right.” Jesse laments. “Anyways, if everyone is ready, what do you say to heading over to the party? Should be swinging by the time we get there.”

“If we must.” Beca ushers the group out of her apartment and they head out to grab a cab to take over towards the Halloween party.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was about 10 minutes until the party was officially set to start. All of the Bellas had already made it back over and were either busy mixing drinks for the party, or consuming said drinks. Chloe steps out of her room and heads over to the makeshift DJ station where Aubrey was setting up her iPod on the port for their speaker system.

Chloe had to admit, with the black wig she was wearing, Aubrey really pulled off Cher. She had on a pair of striped flare pants, a bright yellow three-quarters length top covered by a brown faux fur vest, and a pair of go-go boots to complete the picture. 

“Bree, you look awes!”

“Thanks, Chlo. You look pretty great yourself. I absolutely _love_ your hair.” The redhead smiles brightly.

“Oh, yeah, I was having some trouble with it, so Stacie popped in and worked her magic on me.” Chloe runs her fingers lightly over the tightly wound braids her leggy brunette friend had formed as a crown in her hair. “So when is your other half getting here?”

“Jesse should be here any minute,” the blonde says, clicking the home screen on her phone. The time reads three minutes before 9. “I wonder if his best friend actually agreed to come.” The blonde says more to herself, but Chloe being as close to the woman as she was, heard her.

“Best friend?” Chloe questions.

“Yeah, he was suppose to be convincing her to come tonight,” the blonde responds a little distractedly whilst trying to put together a reasonable playlist on her phone. 

“Why did she need convincing?”

“Oh apparently she's an antisocial recluse that hates people and fun.” Aubrey says with a slight annoyance, though trying to reign in making any pre-judgments before actually meeting the woman.

“Hates fun, I don’t believe that for a second!” the redhead says with a disbelieving smile, already intrigued about meeting this mystery woman for herself.

“Well you’ll get your chance soon enough to know, maybe. I mean we set this whole thing up, she better show. A-ha!” The blonde exclaims when she finds the song she’d been searching for in her music library to add to her playlist.

“Wait, what do you mean, ‘set this whole thing up?’” Chloe asks with curiosity. The blonde snaps her head up immediately, realizing she let some information slip she wasn’t supposed to.

“Uhhm, various sounds of hesitation?”

“Bree...”

“Okay,” she sighs. “So Jesse was _so_ confident that he could get Beca to come tonight, despite how often she refuted his attempts, right? And I helped him, in a way, to come up with the _perfect_ costume for her that she couldn’t possibly pass up wearing to come to our party. Well then I got onto Jess about not having met his best friend yet, and one thing led to another and we were making plans to set you guys up.” Chloe quirks her eyebrow at that statement. “J-just, you know, like a meeting of the best friends and all!” Aubrey adds quickly, wanting to distract from letting Chloe think this was a date set-up. She knows her best friend, and she knows that if the redhead knew it was that kind of a set-up, she’d pounce on the girl the first chance she got and talk her up. Aubrey had to get this thing under control and make the bet more attainable for her. If Beca showed up and Chloe talked to her, she lost. 

“Well I look very forward to meeting this best friend of Jesse’s. Is she cute? Maybe we can do a little bobbing for apples, if ya know what I mean.” Chloe wiggles her eyebrows towards her roommate. 

“Ew, gross Chloe. And remember, I haven’t met her yet? No clue what she looks like. All I know is she’s coming as the Dread Pirate Roberts, that is if she comes.”

“Shame. Wait, Dread Pirate Roberts?! Did you set me up with this costume on purpose, IS this a setup?? Bree tell me now!” Aubrey looks like a deer caught in headlights, and she is wholeheartedly grateful to whichever deity that caused a loud voice to ring out through the apartment to grab Chloe’s attention.

“Hey ginge!” Fat Amy yells from the kitchen. “Get your scrawny butt ova here, I need a guinea pig for my batch of jungle juice.”

“Be right there!” The redhead shouts back. “Duty calls. But this conversation is not over.” She says to Aubrey before heading off to the kitchen to join the other women.

 _Uhg, I just handed Jesse this win. Crap._ Aubrey thinks, trying to figure a way to salvage a win for herself. “Wait, if I get Beca to engage with Chloe first… then I can still win this. Yes! Ladies of the 80s, here comes Aubrey Posen.” The blonde woman says with determination.

“Um, Aubrey, who are you talking to?” 

Aubrey spins around on the spot with a startled squeal, seeing Stacie–dressed in an elaborate Victoria's Secret angel outfit–standing right behind her with a most concerned expression on her face.

“No one!” She replies hastily. “I’m just gonna… um, I need a drink.” Aubrey scurries off towards the kitchen.

“So much strangeness in that attractive body. Whatev.” The brunette shrugs before heading over towards the kitchen area herself.

The group of women circle up around the kitchen island, each holding a cup of Fat Amy’s toxic concoction of jungle juice. It was a drink she’d once described as several bits of alcohol mixed with more alcohol, with a splash of pineapple juice (“for flavor”) and a dash of green food coloring. One full cup was enough to put down the heaviest drinker, and yet here they stood, the seven of them ready to down their first of the night. 

“It really means a lot that you guys could come tonight. Thank you all and let’s have a good time.” Aubrey says, respectably.

“Oh come on Bree, loosen up a bit,” Stacie interrupts. “We all look hot and we’re gonna have a kick ass time at what will soon be a bitchin’ party. To the Bellas!!” The brunette thrusts her drink in the air before slamming it back, watching as the rest of the women do the same.

“Alright, let's get this aca-Halloween party started you pitches!” screams Fat Amy as she cracks open another bottle of liquor for shots.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Not long after a second round of shots by the girls, a good number of guests started showing up at the door, filtering into the apartment and filling up the space quickly. 30 minutes had past, and the living room was littered with people dancing to Aubrey’s playlist, whilst others played games at a table in the dining room or conversed in the kitchen. Aubrey and Chloe had been doing their hosting duties, spending time mingling around the room with guests as well as the Bellas. Chloe was currently blindfolded, participating with Stacie and a group of party-goers in a pin-the-nose-on-the-clown game in the corner of the apartment, while Aubrey was dancing with Jessica, Ashley and a couple other girlfriends from her law firm.

Jesse, Beca and the others had just made it to the apartment building and were climbing the staircase to the third floor. Jesse and Beca had begun to bicker about 10 minutes prior about how late they were running, how Jesse didn’t want to upset Aubrey and that Jesse was completely whipped–Beca's words.

“How was I to know it’d take almost an hour to go 4 miles?”

“Cause it’s Halloween, Becs!” Jesse exclaims, panting, as they ascend the last flight of stairs and round the corner to the hall where his girlfriend’s apartment was.

“Well… who knew people cared that much to go out.” Beca responds, knowing full-well people did that, but not yet wanting to give Jesse the satisfaction of being right. The man just gave Beca a look that said, ‘don’t be an idiot.’ “Whatever, we’re here now, and Aubrey will understand. It’s New York City, being late from traffic is just expected.”

“Uh huh, I’ll let you explain that one to her.” Their ears are assaulted from the music blaring through the closed front door into the hallway. Jesse raises his hand towards the door.

 

There was a knock at the door, and before Aubrey or Chloe even had the chance to react, being the closest, Fat Amy was throwing open the door to greet the group of latest guests. Jesse is grinning excitedly at the whole setting, while Beca, Emily and Benji all have alarmed and wide-eyed expressions on their faces. The four of them are corralled into a bone-crushing hug by the woman who was dressed as Ursula from _The Little Mermaid_. After being released, Beca frowns in discomfort at the physical contact.

“Are you… Aubrey?”

“Ha, no!” The woman laughs. “I’m much sexier and definitely a better dancer. Fat Amy at your service.”

“You call yourself _Fat_ Amy?” Emily asks shyly from behind the others.

“Yeh, so twig bitches like yourself don’t do it behind my back.” The Aussie grins. Beca reciprocates the grin before letting out a hearty laugh.

“I like you already.” The masked brunette says.

“Who wouldn’t! Come on shortstack, let’s get you guys a drink. My jungle juice awaits!”

“You guys go ahead, I’m gonna go find Bree.” Jesse falls behind the other three as Fat Amy leads them through a thick crowd. 

“I think I last saw blondie shaking her groove thang over by the couches.” The busty blonde shouts out.

“Thanks Amy,” the man says before making his way towards the crowd of dancing creatures.

Jesse spots his girlfriend dancing with a handful of other people as he saddles up behind her to tap her on the shoulder.

“Hey babe, look at you, you are one far out groovy chick.” Jesse scopes out his girlfriend’s costume, the wig-wearing blonde’s smile growing as she turns towards the man mid-twirl. 

“You don’t look so bad yourself, Swanson. Or should I say _Sonny_.” The man grins charmingly at the compliment. “Except for that mustache. Thank God it’s only for a few hours.” The man’s face falls slightly, jaw dropping, and the blonde just laughs at his expression.

“So where’s this best friend of yours? Wait, did she not show? Did I win the bet!?” Aubrey excitement growing with each passing sentence.

“Slow your roll there, Bree. Beca’s here. Fat Amy dragged her off for a drink of... jiggle juice, I think she called it?”

“Jungle juice, and if your friend doesn’t want a hangover the size of Texas, she’ll limit her intake of that stuff. Personally, I think the CDC should quarantine that drink.”

“Good to know.”

“So let’s go meet this woman you’ve talked oh so much about, dear boyfriend.” Aubrey holds her hand out for the man to take as they maneuver their way through the crowd to the kitchen.

 

The two reach a small clearing between the two rooms and spot Beca making small talk with a woman dressed as Daria.

“Hey Becs, there you are!” Jesse greets the two women. “Hi there, I’m Jesse.” The man sticks his hand out towards Daria.

“April.” She briefly turns back towards Beca, leaving the outstretched hand unshaken. “It wasn’t a displeasure meeting you.”

“Same.”

“Aubrey, have you seen my idiot of a husband around here?” The woman asks.

“Think I saw an FBI agent over by the bathroom line.” She responds, watching the woman head off in that direction without another word.

“Well that girl was fun. We barely talked. I enjoyed every second of it.” Beca says warmly.

“You’re a weirdo. Anyways, Becs, this is my girlfriend, Aubrey. Aubrey, this is Beca, my best friend!” Jesse makes the introductions between his two favorite women.

“Aubrey Posen. Pleasure to finally meet you Beca.” The blonde lawyer stands up to her full height, sticking her arm out for a firm and formal handshake.

“Yeah, I got that much.” Jesse elbows her in the side. “Uh, and um, it’s nice to finally meet you. Also. Right.” Accepting the offered hand and shaking it awkwardly.

“Well, your costume is quite something. Jesse was telling me about it. So you’re a fan of _The Princess Bride_ , huh?” Aubrey tries to converse with the petite woman, wanting to build a good rapport with her.

“Yeah, it’s a pretty great movie, probably my favorite.”

“That’s nice. I guess I should get around to actually watching it one day.”

“Wait.” Beca cuts the blonde off. “Are you saying you’ve never seen that movie?”

“Um, yeah.”

“And you’re still dating her?” Beca addresses that statement to her best friend standing in between the two women.

“Excuse me!” Aubrey exclaims, a little insulted.

“Woah, Bec, hold on. She knows all about _The Princess Bride_ , trust me. She just hasn’t had a good chance to view it in it’s entirety. Am I right babe?” Jesse tries to diffuse the situation before it starts.

“Hey Jess?” Emily interrupts the group.

“Yeah Emily, what’s up?” Emily steps closer to Jesse so the next thing she asks isn’t heard too loudly, especially by the woman whose apartment they were currently in.

“Um, how does Aubrey feel about birds in her house?”

“That’s a weird question, what would– wait, did Benji bring a-”

“He really did.”

“So why didn’t you stop him?”

“Well I didn’t know til it was too late. But he just looked so cute trying to pull off the trick, and I didn’t actually think it’d be _real_ , and then there were TWO of them!” Emily says with a mildly alarmed expression on her face.

“Excuse me for a second guys, I just gotta–” the man says before rushing off with Emily through a small crowd of guests towards the dining area.

“You know, despite not having seen it, I still know that movie through and through, thanks to my lovely roommate.” Aubrey defends.

“Well I’m anxious to meet your roommate then.” Beca didn’t mean for her comment to sound so rude, but she’s taken a lot of offense to someone not having watched the greatest movie ever made. Of course, if she were to think about it, Jesse would claim that about her with about a hundred other movies, so maybe she should reel it back a little and ease up on the blonde.

Aubrey, deciding not to take any offense from the woman, chooses instead to redirect her focus back to the bet she and Jesse had made, and Beca’s most recent comment has set up an opportunistic moment for her.

“Well then, I should introduce you to my best friend, roommate and co-host of this party, but…” the blonde pauses, scanning the apartment past the brunette’s body, “I think Chloe may have walked off somewhere.” She concludes with a furrowed brow. Aubrey thought she could be sneaky and win the bet by having this girl speak some introductory words to her roommate, because technically speaking, that's all it would take at this point for her to come out victorious. “You know,” Aubrey continues, “we can go look for her and you could–”

Jesse cuts her off from behind, having heard the tail end of their conversation.

“My girlfriend, such the hostess, isn't she Becs? Sorry, I didn't mean to _interfere_. I mean interrupt.” He says pointedly, indicating to the blonde that he knows exactly what she was trying to do. Aubrey, for her part, side-glares at the man, while cursing his timing under her breath.

“You guys are weird. I'm gonna grab another drink.” Beca says, backing away slowly and moving towards a large pitcher bowl filled with a blood red liquid.

“YOU LITTLE CHEAT!” Jesse points an accusatory finger at his girlfriend. Aubrey at least has the decency to look mildly guilty. “I thought we said no interference? If you had any honor, you would disqualify yourself from this arrangement.”

“Oh stop being over dramatic you goof. I was just eager for our two best friends to finally meet that I, I–”

“You what?” The brunette man challenges with a know-it-all smirk plastered on his face.

“I... think you should check your mustache, Sonny. You’re looking a little lopsided there,” Aubrey says in an attempt to deflect her boyfriend’s attention. Jesse’s eyes widen before he scurries off to find a reflective surface.

“Phew.” Aubrey mutters under her breath. “Now where the heck did that redhead get off to?” 

 

Chloe was busy mingling with a number of guests in the living room, just outside of and a few steps away from the ring of dancers. She was in the middle of discussing the upcoming Falcons-Giants game on Sunday with the man in front of her, when suddenly his attention is caught on something behind her and he interrupts. 

“You know, you and your girlfriend have an amazing couples costume tonight, by the way.” The man says.

“My who now?” Chloe asks confused.

“Girlfriend? Isn't that her over there in the Westley outfit in black?” He states, pointing towards a petite figure standing in the kitchen area, scooping punch into a cup.

Trailing her eyes in the direction the fellow party-goer had pointed to, Chloe's eyes sparkle with curiosity and attraction upon landing on the person in question, glad to have finally spotted the woman she's been most intrigued to meet tonight.

“Ummm… yes. Yes that _is_ her. In fact, I need to pop over to her real quick for something, if you'll excuse me.” The redhead says with a sweet smile, her eyes never once leaving the woman across the room as the gentleman dressed as a banana steps away to chat with someone else dressed as a zombie nurse. 

Keeping a clear sight on her target, Chloe maneuvers across her apartment through the massive and now pretty drunk crowd to reach her destination in the kitchen. The woman in black– _Beca_ , she remembers Aubrey mentioning earlier–has her back turned to her as she approaches, watching as the figure swirls her drink around and bops her head to the beat of the music.

Chloe steps up behind the short statured, masked person and taps her on the shoulder before blurting out, “You killed my love!”

Beca turns her head quickly at the declaration and physical contact, ready to lay into the person that is invading her personal space. When she meets piercing blue eyes and a smile spread as wide as a clear horizon, any words that might have come out of Beca's lips get stuck in her throat.

Chloe stares back into wide and alarmed looking eyes, thinking to herself that they are the most strikingly beautiful blue-grey hue she's ever seen. 

As Beca regains some of the air that previously escaped her lungs, she realizes the redhead in front of her is giving her an expectant look, as if awaiting a very specific response from her. Beca finally notices that the woman standing before her is dressed in a long red and flowy riding dress, accompanied with a gold embroidered cloth belt wrapped around her midsection. She smiles a wide, toothy grin, now understanding the woman’s excited exclamation.

“It's possible.” Beca returns with a smirk. “I kill a lot of people.” Finishing the delivery of her line with a challenging eyebrow.

The redhead meets her unspoken challenge with a quirked eyebrow and salacious grin of her own, leaning in to whisper, “If you're up for it, I can go all night.” Shooting the petite brunette a devilish wink.

“W-what?” Beca stutters, caught off guard by the remark.

“Quoting. I could do it all night if you think you can match me.” Beca lets out an awkward laugh.

“Right, yeah.”

“I'm Chloe.”

“Beca.” Chloe eyes brighten a little more at the verification of the name.

“I know, Jesse's best friend right?” Beca raises an eyebrow at that, wondering how this woman knows her. “Aubrey told me your name, she's my best friend and roommate.”

“Ah, right. So _you're_ the Chloe hosting this party.”

“Co-hosting, and correct you are. I have to say, I absolutely love your costume. The second I saw you I had to come over.”

“Is that right?” Beca says with a hint of cockiness. If a gorgeous redhead made a beeline to speak to her, she'll take some pride in that.

“Mmhm. So do you know how to actually use that thing?” Chloe points to the sword adorning Beca’s hip, her fingertip grazing the pommel lightly.

“Hm, oh yeah! I um, I took fencing as a course in college, even joined the team for a couple years.” The brunette scratches the back of her neck, never truly comfortable divulging personal information about herself, especially to strangers. But she felt something different about this woman. Perhaps it was the mischievousness dancing in her beautiful blue eyes.

“So if you had to defend my honor…” Chloe suggests coyly.

“The other guy wouldn’t stand a chance.” Beca winks.

“Good.” Chloe bites her bottom lip, batting her eyelashes bashfully. “So you're a fan, I presume. I mean, that's a pretty impressive outfit for choosing a costume on a whim.”

“Oh, yeah, um, you could say that. It's my favorite movie. Well kinda the _only_ movie I like. But it um, means something to me, cause of, cause of my mom.” Beca rambles off embarrassedly, looking down at the floor.

“Hey,” Chloe tries to get the woman’s attention back, already missing her eyes. “I think that's really sweet. And though I do love other movies, I'd say it's my favorite as well. There's just something about it. Not just the nostalgia I feel when watching it, but Westley and Buttercup’s tale of pure and true love is just so… epically romantic. Something I hope I have one day, you know.” The redhead finishes, looking deeply into the other woman’s eyes.

“Yeah,” Beca breathes out in response. Neither woman realizing the distance between them has significantly shrunken.

“Well,” the masked brunette continues, clearing her throat, “You look very beautiful in your dress, Princess.” Taking a bow to complete the compliment.

“You're too kind. You look very dashing yourself. Not everyone can pull off full black and leather, but you certainly aren't having any problems.” Chloe says with a wink, running her hand up the other woman’s clothed arm.

“Ah heh,” Beca coughs. “Thanks. So um, would you care for a drink?”

“I'd love one. I'm just gonna go find Aubrey real quick and make sure everything's okay around here. But I will be right back.” Chloe shoots her another wink before sauntering off, leaving a blushing brunette in her wake.

 

The redhead spots her roommate talking to Jessica and Ashley on the opposite side of the room. As she crosses the space, she passes Fat Amy doing her signature mermaid dance in the middle of the floor, several party-goers cheering her on. Chloe reaches her best friend just as the other two girls were departing to go refill their beverages.

“So?” Aubrey questioned a little knowingly, having watched her best friend’s interaction with the shorter woman from across the room.

“She's amazing Bree! And super hot.”

“Mhmm. Well I guess Jesse was right then. But now he can lord this over me. AND I have to cook for him for a week.” She sighs.

“Wait, cook for him, why?” Chloe asks curiously.

“Uhhhhm…” the blonde has the good grace to look embarrassed after her slip of the tongue. “Welllll, we might have, maybe, kind of, sort of made a teensy little bet about you and Beca.”

“I'm sorry what?!”

“Not in a bad way, I promise! Jesse just wanted to set you guys up and said that Beca was kind of a recluse and always busy with work. And I wasn’t too keen on letting my best friend get set up with a total stranger, even if it is Jesse’s best friend, and especially after learning she was a pretty antisocial person. Talk about a clash of personalities, Chlo.”

“I _knew_ it was a set up! But Bree, you don’t get to decide–”

“I know! I know. I was just trying to protect you. Anyways, so with the information I had about her, I bet she wouldn’t show up tonight, or that if she did, she’d talk to you first. And believe me, I tried to make that happen. Where were you when I needed to find you!” Aubrey humorously thrusts a finger towards the redhead.

“Hey now. Don’t blame me for your failures.”

“Fair enough. Anyways, I don’t know how it happened, but I turned to look towards Beca, and lo and behold, there you were chatting her up. Leave it to little miss sunshine to make friends with everyone.” Aubrey says with a wry grin, Chloe matching her.

“Wait, so you said Jesse won? She came and we talked, like I approached her, and I definitely want to continue our talking...”

“Yeah… he did.” Aubrey said, slightly disappointed.

“So then why is he being punished with your awful cooking?” Chloe can't help but laugh.

“Hey!” The blonde smacks her best friend on the shoulder. 

“Oh no, you have no right being offended after betting on my love life, missy.” The redhead grins.

“Touché.”

The two women stand in a comfortable silence for a moment, taking in the entirety of their party around them. Aubrey had caught sight of Jesse, dancing away with Emily and Benji (whom she learned earlier who they were). 

“Damn, I was really hoping to go to that concert…” the blonde says more to herself with a hint of disappointment. Chloe laughs, hearing her best friend’s statement despite the blaring music throughout their apartment.

“Just work your feminine wiles, Bree. I'm sure you'll still be able to get Jesse to take you to that concert.” The redhead hip bumps the other woman in a teasing fashion. 

“Yeah yeah.”

“Well, I'm gonna head back over. I'll catch you up later.” Chloe gives a quick smile and wave before walking back towards the kitchen where Beca was waiting for her. The masked woman greets her with a grin and a cup of punch when she arrives.

“Hey.”

“Hey yourself.” Chloe grins at the flirty tone in the petite woman's voice.

“So, tell me something about yourself, Beca…”

“Mitchell.”

“Beca Mitchell. I like it. It suits you.”

“Sure hope so, kinda stuck with it.” Beca jokes, being rewarded with an airy laugh from the beautiful redhead. “Do I get the pleasure of knowing your last name, or is this a make-it-up kind of game?”

“Chloe Beale.” She says holding her hand out to the other woman, the brunette taking it in stride and shaking it with her own.

As soon as their hands meet, both women feel the sparks running up their arms, straight into their chests. The two hold on to each other's hands softly, and slightly longer than what one may consider a normal length of time, before reluctantly letting go, their fingertips tracing down the other’s lightly before being brought back down towards each woman’s side. Both women smile shyly as they interchange drinking their punch and continuing their conversation of getting to know one another.

 

Aubrey had been watching the two women converse from her position across the room when she felt a body occupy the space next to her and wrap an arm around her waist.

“Whatcha doin babe?” Jesse asks his girlfriend, placing a soft kiss on her cheek.

“Oh, just observing our match-making skills at work.”

“Our match match-making skills?” Jesse asks curiously, following the blonde’s line of sight to see his best friend cozied up to a certain redhead as they talk intimately in a corner of the kitchen. “Oh you mean my match-making skills. Well how about that. Seems someone was right and won themselves a bet.” 

“Don't gloat. It's an unattractive quality in a man.” Aubrey says mildly deflated.

“Don't worry Bree, I won't gloat. Not tonight anyways. I'll save it for the toast I make at their wedding.” Jesse laughs as he receives a soft elbow to his stomach and a roll of the eyes from his girlfriend.

“They do seem to be getting along quite well, I have to admit. I'm surprised to see Beca smiling so much. From what you've told me of her, I didn't think she was capable.”

“Hardy har. She is a human with emoting capabilities... occasionally.”

The couple watches as Beca leans in to whisper something in Chloe’s ear, only to have the redhead crack up laughing and throw a flirtatious hand on the smaller woman’s shoulder.

“So about that bet…”

“Yeah yeah… you won fair and square. I shall honor our agreement and make you dinner this week.”

“Actually, I was going to say, with how helpful you've been with getting Beca here and introduced to Chloe… how about we share the winnings?” Aubrey is surprised at the proposal from her boyfriend.

“How so?”

“How about you treat me to a fancy dinner before we go to the Ladies of the 80s concert?” The man says, whipping out 2 tickets from his back pocket.

“What?!” The blonde yells in shock, alarming a few guests nearby, before excitedly jumping into the arms of the brunette man.

“I know how much you wanted to go. And besides… I may have kind of asked Chloe earlier in the week how your cooking skills are and her instant reaction was to cringe and recommend eating out anytime you want to cook.” He laughs at the slight jaw drop on the blonde’s face before she morphs it into a grin.

“I’d be more offended if A. Chloe wasn't right, and 2. You didn't get us these tickets.” Aubrey laughs before planting a firm kiss on Jesse’s lips. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Now, let's go see what the two lovebirds are up to over there.” Jesse grabs the blonde's hand before leading her over towards the kitchen space.

 

Chloe and Beca have been getting along famously, their conversation over the last hour never having stilted once. With the assistance of the alcohol flowing through their systems, both women find themselves pressed up close to one another as they continue to talk and flirt. 

Chloe softly grazes Beca's arm when the brunette says something funny. Beca bites her bottom lip at the contact. Both steal glances of the other’s mouths as they speak about their favorite genres of music and bands they've recently heard that they recommend to the other. 

“So um, since you've just said how much you like the genre… I'm actually going to see this indie rock band play tomorrow night. My work wants me to scope them out. Would you maybe like to join me for that? On like a date?” Beca asks awkwardly, her heart beating out of her chest.

“That sounds like so much fun, I would love to! But…” the redhead trails off, biting her lower lip in hesitation.

“But? Oh. You're not interested. I'm sorry, I just thought–”

“No!” Chloe cuts off the brunette quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. “I am interested. I just… don't think I can wait until the end of our first date to kiss you. I've kind of been thinking about non stop since we first spoke.” Chloe says through heavy lidded eyes.

“Oh. _Oh!_ ” Beca says a little flustered before regaining some of her confidence. “ Um, well, who says you have to wait?” Chloe smiles broadly before slowly leaning in towards the brunette.

Beca can feel her eyes drift shut as Chloe’s face inches ever so closer to her own. She can feel the other woman’s nose lightly graze hers, lips hovering dangerously close to one another as the air between them crackles with energy. Unable to take the suspense any longer, Beca closes the remaining gap between their mouths, placing her lips softly against the redhead’s own, sliding her left hand up into copper locks. A quiet moan escapes into the air around them, neither able to identify whose it may be, as lips moved against each other. Beca can feel Chloe place a hand on her right hip and squeeze gently as their kiss becomes more heated. Everything in the room falls deaf to the brunette as she gets more and more lost in their passionate embrace. Everything except a singular booming voice.

“Truuuuue lovvvve!”

Beca pulls back from the kiss quickly, alarmed at the declaration just feet away from where they're standing.

“Jesse dammit!” Beca exclaims startled and slightly angry, her breathing coming in heavy pants. “I'm gonna kill you!” She sees the brunette boy’s eyes flash with fear before he sprints off into the crowd. “I can't believe you just interrupted our first kiss!” Beca takes off after him into the crowd leaving a giggling redhead and confused blonde in her wake.

“Well?” The blonde asks.

“We have our first date tomorrow.” The redhead grins broadly, excitement evident in her voice.

“That's great, Chloe! I'm glad it all worked out.” Aubrey says, happy for her best friend. “To think this all started with a movie. Who knew The Princess Bride could create a potential relationship.”

“ _The Princess Bride_ is a magical thing.” Chloe smiles, lightly hip checking the blonde.

The two women hear a commotion and turn their heads in the direction of the noise. Aubrey rolls her eyes as they spot the two across the room by the couch, the tiny brunette standing with the man bent over in a firm headlock.

“We should probably go stop Beca from killing my boyfriend.” Aubrey sighs heavily, turning to face a smirking redhead.

“As you wish.”


End file.
